Access Denied

This book jacket explores the critical role of accessibility in design. I chose to focus on this topic to highlight the everyday barriers that people face and the importance of inclusive design solutions.

To reinforce this message, I incorporated a belly band that wraps around the book, an intentional “barrier to entry” symbolizing the obstacles that make spaces, products, and information inaccessible. I took this concept a step further by hand-stitching the belly band together, emphasizing both the physical and metaphorical effort required to break barriers.

Inside the jacket, I manually typeset text from my grant project, which examines the unseen impact of accessibility in design. This process was a deliberate choice to reflect the care, time, and precision that inclusive design requires. Additionally, the jagged arrangement of the title and quotes on the front cover mimics the challenge of navigating text when it is not designed with accessibility in mind.

Every detail was thoughtfully considered to spark conversation and create a meaningful, tactile experience. This project challenges how we think about access and serves as a reminder that design should be for everyone.